whisper to me

it's not what it looks like

It always surprised Ianto, how the fever of the Stonesong could still to something so serene along the Bodega. Granted, the village and market around them was anything but, the cobbles and dirt roads a-flit with Fae walking or flying here and there. Ianto was easily the tallest person around, and even had they not known him, by and large, he'd have garnered quite a lot of attention.

Still, with a raccoon coiled around his shoulders and the gorgeous crystal waters running beside them, he had no time to chit-chat. Spotting a school of telltale whisperfish (the noise of their stories was enough for him to know they were there), Ianto approached and carefully set down his tank. All things considered, no one seemed to care much about his presence.

Naked arms, his secrets still like songs I never learned Well that answered Remi's early question of whether or not all the fae were as short as Eliza was. Being up on Ianto's shoulders made the alchemist feel like all eyes were upon them given how they towered over them all, and slowly Remi wondered if he shouldn't have heeded Ianto's advice about staying in the forest. As Ianto knelt, Remi deftly hopped off of his shoulders and peered into the water. To the surprise and delight of his senses, he heard the fish long before he actually saw them. With a whispered grin of glee, he glanced from Ianto and then back to the crystal clear waters. Wiggling his small black fingered questioningly, he looked back up towards Ianto—now feeling as though perhaps he should not even speak, even telepathically—and tried to silently ask if he was allowed to try for one of the fish himself.

it's not what it looks like

Luckily for both of them, it seemed as though the Fae were both used to Ianto's presence and used to his weird errands and eccentric habits, for fox and raccoon were both left alone as they set up camp beside the shore of the Bodega. Ianto busied himself filling the tank with water (using an empty waterskin to transfer it all) while Remi skittered off his shoulder, and considering he couldn't speak to the other man without it becoming obvious that it was more than a mere animal, they seemed to be getting by well enough.

Indeed, Ianto had already pulled off his boots and socks to dip his feet in the water when he noticed Remi's wiggly fingers, the fox laughing softly and nodding, as if inviting him to try. In the meantime, he was reasonably confident that he could catch a whisperfish using his toes as bait.

Naked arms, his secrets still like songs I never learned Having absolutely no idea what it was Ianto was doing but seeing his nod of approval, Remi turned his attention to the water. Twitching his tail, he tried to lean rather heavily into the instincts that were quietly chittering away in the back of his mind. Unlike the lion or the hawk, apparently more docile shifts had different sort of tendencies when it came to how aggressively he could sense their wants and drives. Indeed, his raccoon-brain wanted to eat berries and perhaps sunbathe on the side of the river. Not hungry, he had entirely no drive to fish at all. So much for that. Wiggling his fingers (as if this would help anything) Remi leaned over the side of the bank, peering down into the water. Tail twitching as he tried to balance even as he leaned further over, Remi waited until one of the fish swam under his shadow, apparently pleased about the break in the sun. Then, with what could only be described as extreme dexterity, Remi promptly fell head first into the water.

it's not what it looks like

Remi could lean over and mess about at the side of the river all he liked - Ianto knew it was a waiting game, and the fox leant back on his hands to gently paddle his feet as they drew the attention of the whisperfish. He arched an eyebrow and watched lazily as the raccoon teetered further and further towards the water, and he was about to give a mental nudge of warning when all at once two things happened.

Firstly, a fish tried to snack on one of his toes. Secondly, Remi fell in the water.

The combination of theatrics and the sensation of having one's toe sucked by a fish (ew?) had Ianto weak with laughter, flailing back with a whisperfish flopping about on the end of his foot even while he tried to scoop Remi out of the water with his free hand. It caused quite a ruckus, yes, but... it was progress, right?

Naked arms, his secrets still like songs I never learned Things had been going very well, until they hadn't. Then suddenly it was all cold water, the rush of a current, and the sound of laughter ringing in his ears. Only the laughter came from all around him, which is when the alchemist learned that the whisperfish could not only sing and speak, but laugh as well. How nice. Trying to surface, his small hands smacking the water uselessly, Remi could feel the weight of his fur dragging him down as it became waterlogged. All but biting at the air to try and breathe, the raccoon suddenly felt a strong arm around him, and pulling him from the water. With a squeak and no small amount of flailing, Remi gripped Ianto's shirt, his small hands clutching at whatever material he could get them on to try and get as far away from the water as possible. Rather than speaking, Remi sent a pulse of loud appreciation towards the fox as he coughed and spluttered. The urge to shift into his human form and cough the water out properly was strong, but especially now after he'd attracted many eyes to him, that was all but impossible. So Remi spluttered and heaved against Ianto, eventually catching his breath and noticing the fish on the shore. With an animated sigh, Remi leaped away and tapped on the glass, indicating that the fox wasn't done yet. The fish would need water if it was going to remain in the tank.

it's not what it looks like

The appreciation was nice, though honestly Ianto was laughing a little too much right now to understand it. He did notice how hard his soggy, furry friend was gripping onto his shirt, the fox feeling a little bad for finding it so funny, but Remi had soon enough leaped down to tap little fingers against the tank. Nodding obligingly, Ianto let the fish splash into the water he’d filled it with, adding a bit more until he was content that the whisperfish would survive (it was still laughing long after he had stopped).

Letting out a long sigh and smiling satisfactorily at Remi, Ianto got his shoes back on and carefully hefted up the tank, either oblivious or uncaring of the eyes on them. Smiling to Remi, he nodded at his shoulder as if to invite the drenched alchemist back up to sit.

Naked arms, his secrets still like songs I never learned With a shake that started in his shoulders and wriggled all the way to the tip of his tail, Remi tried to dislodge as much of the water as possible from his coat before scampering up and onto Ianto's shoulder with an undignified huff. With dark eyes, Remi glanced around nervously, trying to distinguish what was idle curiosity on the part of the lingering fae, and what might be looks of suspicion. His nails gripped the fabric of Ianto's shirt as his whiskers twitched with a sort of nervous diligence.

it's not what it looks like

Once Remi was safely on his shoulder, Ianto scanned the riverside for anything he might have forgotten or anything left lingering on the banks, before turning on heel with the fishtank and beginning to march out of the village. He hummed tunelessly under his breath, nodding at a few fae that knew him (and knew better than to ask what on earth he was doing) and glancing at Remi. His nervousness was almost palpable, the fox turning his head to nuzzle at wet fur and twitching whiskers.

"Hey," he soothed, "it's okay. C'mon." The words probably wouldn't have been out of place even if he was a real raccoon, and the merchant soon had them back in the relative safety of the trees. Cocooned in a canopy of branches, he let out a breath of relief. "There. One whisperfish. Where'd you want it?"

Naked arms, his secrets still like songs I never learned The nuzzle was welcome, the man-animal barrier safely and securely in place such that Remi was able to accept the gesture as comforting rather than something which would otherwise have caused him panic. Are we still being watched? Shall I shift, or remain like this? He asked in a mental whisper, hunching low on Ianto's shoulders as he did so.

it's not what it looks like

"Give it a little longer, perhaps," Ianto said softly, though they were surrounded on all sides by now by greenery. The sights and smells of the village and the rush of water from the Stonesong was fading too, and it would be safe for Remi to speak all he liked in his animal form. But just in case, it might be better to put some more distance between them before he went back on two legs.

"Would you like to take this to my wagon?" he asked, nodding to the fishtank. "We can keep it there, and I'll show you to the Wicker Woman."

Naked arms, his secrets still like songs I never learned For a moment Remi neither did nor thought anything. The wagon sent a tendril of fear through the heart of him, as it was some physical representation of all that he thought Ianto might be. Just another of Ludo's horrors come to claim him. And this time, he was falling for it. I suppose that makes sense. Remi said with a vague mental nod to punctuate the words, his body having grown slightly stiff. Then, trying to lighten the cloud he'd thrown on everything, he twitched his whiskers with a smirk. If we left it out and some other creature came and took it, I think a second round of fishing might gain us more looks than we would want.

it's not what it looks like

"Aye, that's true enough." Ianto chuckled, walking a little further into the forest before pausing between two large, tall trees that stretched high into the canopy above. He'd have been an idiot not to notice the way Remi tensed all over, and he nudged the raccoon affectionately on his shoulder. "Go on then," he said, nodding at the ground.

"If you wait for me here, I'll go to the wagon and back. You just need to be careful not to wander off without me, okay?" He grinned.

Naked arms, his secrets still like songs I never learned Appreciation rippled out of the small furry body and through their bond as the raccoon nodded. Remi had been planning on not going into the wagon, but now that Ianto had made the offer, the pressure was off, and the alchemist was all the more grateful for it. I will be right here. Remi agreed, clambering off of the fox's shoulder to sit against the trunk of a tree. As the fox disappeared, idly the alchemist wondered if he hadn't just made a massive mistake. If this was a trick of Ludo's perhaps something would be done to the fish? If it was out of his eyesight, he would have no way of knowing. Or perhaps he was simply being left here in some maze-like part of the forest for which he'd never be able to leave? Or perhaps the fae were on their way to find him? Scrunching up into himself and grabbing at a piece of clover, Remi worried over whether or not he should have trusted for the fox as he waited for him to return.